The present invention relates to an aerator for a well water pumping system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an aerator for discharging noxious volatiles in pumped well water.
Well water is often considered to be more desirable than drinking water from municipal water sources. Municipal water is treated extensively to remove solids, organics and finally infused with chlorine to kill any pathogenic bacteria or viruses. In contrast, well water is often laden with solubilized metals such as iron, calcium, magnesium. Calcium and magnesium in particular are found in so-called hard water usually in the form of their carbonates. While it may be a matter of taste, many people prefer drinking well water and find the differences that can be discerned with the additional metal ions to be pleasurable. Municipal water may be drawn from soft water sources such as lakes, or it may be treated for hardness, thus reducing the amounts of metal ions and rendering the water less “tasty.”
Well water does typically include other constituents; some of which may be offensive even if they do not occur in dangerous or harmful concentrations. For instance, ammonia is found in many well water supplies. While ammonia can be detected very easily by the human sense of smell, it is unusual for ammonia to accumulate in levels in well water that are thought to be hazardous. Sulfides, usually in the form of Hydrogen Sulfide, can occur in well water supplies. The origin of such sulfides may be from anaerobic decay of organic matter, or it may occur at the edge of sandstone or shale formations. In any event, sulfides may be ejected from well water as a gas and are highly offensive given the typically rotten egg smell that is generated by their emission. Other noxious gases may be present in well water, some occurring naturally such as Methane, others that may have a synthetic origin and have percolated down to the water table.
It is highly desirable for people who are using well water to be able to produce water that is safe, as well as non-offensive. It is most troubling for a user to confront a noxious odor in his/her drinking water and there is no consolation in the fact that the particular gas one is sensing is not harmful at the levels in which it is detected. Therefore many attempts have been made to treat and condition well water to make it more palatable for users. In many cases well water is treated for the removal of “hardness” which is primarily focused on the removal of calcium and magnesium ions. The present invention is not concerned with such chemistry since calcium and magnesium do not normally get emitted as a noxious gas.
There are processes known in the prior art for removing noxious gases. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,721 (Kyriss, et al) teaches the use of an aeration component in a pumped water system. The aeration occurs in a “tower” that contains packing for increasing the exposure of the water to air thus allowing volatiles such as radon, hydrogen sulfide and methane to be blown off owing to ambient vapor pressures of these gases. Kyriss does not teach a system for evolving gas in a submersible or dual stage jet pump system. Similar to Kyriss above, the water treatment system taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,530 (Chandler, et al) uses above-ground aeration and precipitation tanks to remove volatiles from well water supplies.
The water treatment system in U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,765 (Tubbs) does include provisions for returning aerated water to a well water supply. As can be seen in the drawings, aerated well water is produced above ground and a side stream is returned to the well water supply. The aeration actually occurs above-ground and gases are dispersed through an above-ground outlet. In addition, air injected through the aeration process is used to precipitate ions put of the water supply. Tubbs does hot teach an aeration system where the water stream is aerated below ground and within the well.
Another water treatment system known in the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,459 (Smith) where compressed air is injected into the water supply and the resultant air/water mixture is routed through a filtration system. Smith does not teach an in-well aeration system for the removal of noxious gases. Similarly, the water treatment system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,463 (Chandler, et al) teaches the use of a filtration system to remove impurities from a water supply after it has been aerated. A similar system designed for the removal of iron is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,580 (Auchincloss) as is a water treatment system for the removal of gaseous impurities as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,163 (Yobe, et al).
The prior art system generally rely on fairly sophisticated water treatment methods. These methods are designed to bring specific chemical parameters down to compliance levels for the most part. In some cases the systems require a high degree of maintenance and replenishment of resins and or filters. Notwithstanding the benefits of the prior art treatment systems, there still remains a need for a simple, no-maintenance aeration system that will purge a well water supply of noxious gases such as ammonia, sulfides and methane. There is also a need for a treatment system that is durable and once installed will remain working for years or even decades without any attention. There also remains a need for an aeration system that is low cost and which can be assembled and/or installed by an average home owner if so desired.
The use of the present invention in a manner that is unexpected produces a result that is very effective although perhaps not as complete as more sophisticated methodology. In this respect though the benefits of the present invention lie in its simplicity which produces for the user a higher quality well water supply at a very low cost.